The New Marauder

Thirty six

~*~*~*~ Hogwarts ~*~*~*~

"I have to take extra lessons," I huff, throwing my satchel onto my bed. I ignore the looks I earn from the twins.
"Extra lessons?" Fred asks, his curiosity piqued. "What for?"
"Because, in the Headmaster's own words: 'Miss Black, while I encourage you to expand your already vast capabilities, I fear others might not see your ingenuity for what it is. And to make sure your brilliant mind stays focused on more appropriate topics, we as your educators must err on the side of caution when young minds are given the privileges that are being extended to you.'" I mimic Professor Dumbledore's voice poorly. "So, on the two days a week when we don't have those extra study periods that start next term, I have to meet with the Heads of Houses for two hours." I flop onto my bed, face-first.
"Well, at least Percy will be delighted to hear you're filling your time wisely," Fred snickers.
"Though he'll probably just be jealous and try to tag along," George adds teasing so hard I could hear his smirk.
"Better tell McGonagall to watch out for him—he might try to eavesdrop on your lesson," Fred laughs.
"That, or he'll try to teach you his method, which he'll swear is ten times better," George mutters under his breath.
"I don't even need to study! I have an eidetic memory—it's literally impossible for me to forget anything!" I shout into the covers, ignoring their banter in favor of wallowing in my own self-pity. I mean, I'm all for wanting to learn more, but I wanted to do it on my own terms.
"And you're sure you're upset about this—" Fred begins.
"—and not about the fact that no one from back home has replied to you?" George finishes for him.
"I don't know," I whine, turning over on my back to stare at the vaulted wooden beams. "Probably. But I know they won't make the lessons fun. Well, perhaps Flitwick—he seems nice. But Snape?" I gag a little, making the twins laugh.
The other side of my bed dips, and I feel something poking the side of my head. "Wanna go do something fun to make up for it?" Fred whispers, moving to poke my side. I turn my head to glare at him, only to see him holding up the map. "I think it's about time Ceddie spent the night with us, don't you think?"
"We could get into so much trouble," I whisper, watching our friend walk towards his common room. "Not to mention, how would we get him out in the morning?"
"Tomorrow is Saturday; we can sleep in until the common room clears out."
"And if that doesn't work?" I ask.
"Let him borrow your clothes and pretend he's a Gryffindor for a few minutes."
"Or have Charlie help us," George pipes up from the couch.
I take a second to think about it before finally agreeing with a nod. "Let me write him first." Sitting up, I reach into the unaltered pocket of my satchel and pull out the small yellow notebook with a black "C" embedded on the front. I quickly jot down a message to Cedric, asking him to meet us at our spot in the library and to bring spare clothes. "Done. Ready?" I ask, standing up and unclipping my black robe.
In sync, the twins follow my lead, throwing their own robes on their beds before we make our way to the door with the map still in Fred's hands. "Percy is with McGonagall, Charlie is on the pitch, and I don't see Gemma."
"I think she said something about studying by the lake," I mutter, pulling the book back out to read Cedric's response. "He's meeting us at the library entrance; it's halfway between, and we can take the shortcut back up from the fourth floor," I say as Fred tucks the map into his pocket.
"While we're down there, we should nick some snacks from the kitchen," George suggests, rubbing his hands together.
"I thought we could check that passage on the fourth floor," Fred adds.
"The one behind the big mirror?" I ask as Fred climbs through the hole behind the Fat Lady.
"Yep, it looks like it goes towards Hogsmeade."
"You really want to head back that way? Even after last time?" I ask, a bit skeptical. I mean, detentions with Hagrid and Professor Kettleburn were awesome, but if I'm going to have extra lessons on top of everything else...
"That was a fluke, and the older years won't be there this time," Fred shrugs off my concerns as George whispers the password to the old man. "Honest, Ori, what's the point of having this?" He pats his pocket, grinning. "If we're not going to use it properly."
I turn to George for some help, but he's wearing a matching grin. "Fine, fourth-floor mirror only tonight," I agree, laughing when the twins jump in celebration. "If it leads to Hogsmeade, then we take a quick visit, come straight back, and try for a longer visit next Saturday."
"Agreed," they say in unison, causing me to playfully roll my eyes.
The trip down to the library isn't eventful, except for running into one of Sprat's cronies  who just happened to trip on the stairs. But other than that it was made in relative silence. Don't get me wrong, I love hanging out with the twins, but since they brought it up, I can't help thinking about what's going on back home. Uncle Charlie said they were getting visitors but never mentioned who was visiting or why. He tells me everything, but it's like he's purposefully avoiding my questions, and it sucks.
"Hey, guys," Cedric's calm voice pulls me from my thoughts, making me smile. I don't know what it is about him, but just his presence calms my mind. It's like he's the brother I was always meant to have.
"Hey," we reply in unison, not meaning to.
At the sound of his carefree laugh, I feel the worries from earlier wash away. "So what's up? And why do I need a chang—"
"—of scenery?" Fred interrupts, glancing at a group of older kids walking past.
"Oh no, guys, really?" Cedric groans as realization dawns on him. "We just got our detentions over with."
I wrap my arm around his shoulder, pulling him in closer. "Don't worry, we won't get in trouble this time," I whisper with an excited grin.
"Swear it."
"We swear," the three of us say in unison again.

Once the coast was clear, I motioned to Fred to open the map. We'd made it all the way up to the seventh floor without running into anyone, but if we went in now without checking, all our hard work could be for nothing. Not that it was necessarily hard walking up the staircase without receiving questioning looks, but maybe we should've brought a Gryffindor tie and sweater with us at the very least.
"We're set," Fred whispered, not that he needed to—it just added to the sneaky vibe.
Smirking, I approached the Fat Lady. "Gigglefish." For a second, my heart pounded as her beady eyes zeroed in on Cedric before she opened up, giving us a skeptical look.
"Welcome to Gryffindor Tower," the twins said giddily, pulling Cedric through.
"Whoa," he breathed, wide-eyed, as he took in the huge common room. The more his eyes bounced around, the more excited he got. "This place is wicked."
"Wait till you see our room," George smirked, guiding him toward Godric's painting.
"Mister Gryffindor, this is Cedric. He's our friend visiting from—"
"Hufflepuff," the red-haired man cut me off in a deep voice, eyeing the yellow and black crest on Cedric's chest. "A worthy house all the same. Welcome to Gryffindor, young badger." He struck a proud pose, gesturing to the sky.
"Th-thank you, sir," Cedric stammered, blushing.
"Right, so... jelly slugs?" I ventured, hoping he'd let us through without too much trouble.
Suddenly, Godric dropped his arm, his stern eyes rounding on me, making me gulp in fear that he wouldn't let us in. But then he burst into loud, hearty laughter, his belly bouncing. "Go on in, little lions," he chuckled, opening the way.
"Whew," Fred whispered dramatically, making us laugh. "I thought we were done for."
"Let's hope he doesn't rat us out to McGonagall," I agreed, pushing open the heavy wooden door to our dorm.
Cedric's gasp was almost automatic as he stepped over the threshold. It made me briefly wonder if I had that same look on my face the first time I saw it.
"This is your dorm?" he whispered in awe, darting from the fireplace to the center table, then to the four beds with wardrobes and desks attached. "This place is amazing."
"You haven't seen the best part yet," George grinned, taking his bag and tossing it on the empty bed before pulling him into the bathroom.
As I plopped down on the couch in front of the roaring fire, I pulled out my little notebook that I used to talk to Uncle Charlie and Anna back home. It felt like forever since I'd heard back from them. All I wanted was to talk to them. I really didn't think it would be this hard staying away from home for this long, but it was. It was weird not having Uncle Harry's fish fry or Aunt Sarah's baked mac and cheese every other weekend. And I really didn't want to think about how awkward it was not celebrating Thanksgiving. Seriously, I was really going to miss riding dirt bikes and going out on the river for what Uncle Charlie called "us time" while Aunt Sue, Aunt Sarah, and Anna cooked up the biggest, best feast ever.
"They haven't written back yet?" Fred asked, sitting next to me instead of joining George and Cedric in the bathroom.
"No, I don't know what's keeping them other than work, but even then, Uncle Charlie always writes when he's bored... and that's almost all the time because there's nothing to do in Forks." I sighed, tossing the notebook down on the wooden table between the couch and the fireplace.
I couldn't help but smile when he threw his arm over my shoulder. "Well, cheer up. We've got some exploring to do." He grinned, pulling out the map again and waving it teasingly in my face.
Swatting it away, I thought of what McGonagall had taught me during our last private lesson. "Hold on. Kreacher, Spikey," I called out, running to my pouch of gold hidden away under my folded socks.
"What do you need them for?" Fred gave me an are-you-crazy look.
Before I could answer, both elves popped out of thin air with loud whip-like cracks. "Young Master," Kreacher bowed deeply, making me grimace while Spikey gave a small curtsy.
"You really don't have to do that," I mumbled, blushing awkwardly. "But um, I have a question... Would you be able to go wherever is closest that sells parchment and get me some? That is, if you're not busy, and I have this to pay for it, but I need a lot, and I can't leave school..." I asked, pushing a good amount of gold into Kreacher's hands.
"It would be our pleasure, Miss Orion," Spikey squeaked, curtsying again.
"We shall return with the finest parchment, young master," Kreacher agreed in his gravelly voice.
And just like that, they disappeared with a loud pop. "Is it always that loud?" Fred complained, shaking the ringing noise from his ears.
Doing the same with mine in hopes that it would help, I took the map from him and laid it out on the table in the center of the room. "I dunno," I mumbled, getting lost in thought.
"Ori, you have a freaking swimming pool!" Cedric yelled, happily returning to the dorm, dripping wet along with an equally soaked George. "Seriously, this place is the best. No wonder you guys are all so happy; all we've got is five beds, small wardrobes, and a warming stove in ours." He laughed, brushing his hair out of his face. "What are you guys up to?"
"She's looking over the map," Fred shrugged, sitting next to me.
Rolling my eyes, I pointed to the bed next to George's. "There should be some clean clothes in there, but uh, they'll be Gryffindor."
"Which will help sneaking you in and out if you think about it," Fred pointed out.
"Are we going anywhere?" Cedric asked, worriedly moving over to change as George did the same.
"Mhm," I hummed, looking back down at the map. "The big mirror on the fourth floor—"
"Has a passage behind it and—" Fred cut in excitedly.
"We think it leads to Hogsmeade," George finished, rubbing his hands together with a sly grin.
"Guys, that didn't work out last time," Cedric said, pulling on one of the long-sleeved Gryffindor sweaters. "What makes you think it'll be better this time?"
"That's why we got the change of clothes. We'll change in the tunnel so we can just pretend we're kids of the villagers," I shrugged with a grin, proud of my idea. I didn't want to toot my own horn, but it was kind of the best plan that came to be.
He pointed to the darkening sky past the open window. "Can we try tomorrow, you know when it's light out?"
The three of us looked at each other before I nodded. "Sure, we were going to make a run down to the kitchens for snacks anyway."
Suddenly, we jumped in surprise as both Kreacher and Spikey appeared out of thin air, laden down with loads of parchment—scrolls, flat packs, even a few loose pieces dangling out of the messy stack in their little arms. Gasping, I quickly moved to help alleviate the heavy load from Kreacher while Fred helped Spikey.
"Whoa, that's... a lot," I breathed out, placing my pile on the table with a dull thump.
"Nice haul," Fred smirked, putting his load down next to mine, pretty much taking up half the table. "Though I have to ask... why so many?"
"Miss said she needed parchment—"
"And there was so much to choose from—"
"We didn't know what to pick—"
"So we got some of everything just in case," Kreacher finished, bowing deeply.
Looking from the huge pile on the table back to the small elves, I shook my head in disbelief at how they could carry all that when it probably weighed more than both of them combined. "Thank you, I really do appreciate it," I told them, rubbing my neck awkwardly. "Why don't you guys take the weekend off? Spend some time at the cottage in Falmouth?"
"Time off?" Kreacher squealed loudly in disbelief, shocking all of us.
"Just the weekend," I rushed out, holding tightly to his shoulders so he couldn't throw himself down and possibly hurt himself. "But you don't have to if you don't want to," I reassured him.
"Kreacher wants to work," he cried out, wiping his nose like a toddler—really, like Jacob used to.
Patting his shoulder, I smiled softly. "If that's what you really want, then the cottage needs some cleaning. If you want to—"
"Kreacher will handle everything, young master," he agreed almost too eagerly for my liking, pulling himself together. "Then Kreacher will come back and work at Hogwarts?"
"Of course, if that's what you want," I answered softly, letting Kreacher go as his crying subsided. Turning to Spikey, I asked, "Will you be taking the weekend off?" I wasn't entirely sure what she did with her time, though I knew she'd been helping Anna but recently had started assisting around the castle with Kreacher.
"There is much to do, young miss. Spikey has her weekend off next weekend," she replied, shuddering slightly.
"Alright then," I nodded, "just make sure you both get plenty of rest and eat properly." I grinned, knowing they wouldn't take care of themselves unless explicitly ordered. That was one of the first things Anna had told me about when Kreacher became mine. "Have fun."
"As you wish, young master," Kreacher said happily, bowing before vanishing with Spikey in a loud pop.
For a long moment, the room was silent. I could feel my friends' eyes on me, but it didn't bother me as much as the idea of owning two sentient magical beings. The whole concept of house-elf enslavement was unsettling, but I knew there wasn't much I could do to overturn thousands of years of tradition. The least I could do was ensure that Spikey and Kreacher lived comfortably, despite how their lives began.
"So, the parchment?" Cedric's cautious question snapped me back to the matter at hand.
Sighing, I turned to face the massive pile of parchment that might last me the rest of my years here. "Yeah, so McGonagall has been helping me recreate the map—not that she knows that. But what I didn't know is whether the original Marauders used a special type of parchment with magical properties beyond the spells that made the map... well, the map."
"Blimey, so do we test them all out?" Cedric asked, already sorting through the pile.
I shrugged and moved to help him. "I guess so. I'll start with one of each to see if the spells bond properly."
"Spells can bond—"
"To parchment?" Fred and George exclaimed, joining us with astonished looks.
"Theoretically, they can bond to anything," I explained, picking up a colorful pack of shiny parchment that glimmered in the firelight. I remembered reading about advanced charms in a book last week when I got bored in History of Magic. Seriously, they needed a better teacher for that class.
"Huh." Fred mused, glancing at George. "If we're gonna be up all night—"
"We'll need food," George finished, grabbing the map. "Be back in a jiffy." He winked before leaving the room with Fred.
"Are they always like that?" Cedric asked, watching the door.
"You get used to it after a while," I shrugged. "How's Hufflepuff been?"
Cedric met my eyes briefly before looking back down at the table. "Sprat's made it clear to everyone that we're friends, as if they didn't already know. He actually tried to get the rest of the house to shun me until Tonks put him in his place. She told everyone that if they messed with us, they'd be messing with her, Charlie, and Gemma. Since then, it's been pretty good. A few mice in my bed or shoes, but still good."
"I'm sorry you have to deal with that prat," I mumbled, silently hating Sprat more with every word. "I wish we could get back at him more than he gets us, but—"
"But you don't want to get caught," Cedric finished with a wide grin. "The itching powder was a bloody good one." He laughed so hard that I couldn't help but join in.
When he finally calmed down, I couldn't help but laugh at his disheveled state, especially since he was now wearing crimson and gold. "I was thinking about something."
"You're always thinking," Cedric joked, chuckling at his own humor. "It's like your brain has fifteen Orions operating it. Could you imagine fifteen Ori's out and about wondering the world?"
My mind was sharp and good at retaining information, but it had an annoying habit of getting distracted easily. Sometimes, those distractions led me down rabbit holes that I wouldn't resurface from until I had learned everything I could about the topic. Cedric knew this, so instead of continuing on to show him the faded leather-bound book I had found tucked away in a bookcase—a book filled with potions, pranks, and more—I was now imagining what the world would be like if there were fifteen other me's running around causing havoc. We could truly rule the world, turning it into a realm of chaos. Open a door? Bam! Pie in the face. Want to make a phone call? Not without getting squid ink on you first... so many possibilities.
"Umph. What the—?" I looked down at the fallen pillow that had smacked me in the face, pulling me out of my thoughts.
"You were stuck in dreamland," Cedric laughed, doubling over and holding his stomach.
Grabbing the pillow, I threw it across the room, aiming for his head. He tried to dodge it but was too late and ended up lying flat on his back, still laughing. Rushing over, I grabbed the pillow again, sat on his legs, and smacked him with it.
"Ori!" he yelped through his laughter, trying to swat the pillow away.
"Stop hitting yourself, stop hitting yourself, stop hitting yourself," I chanted, laughing as I kept hitting him. After the fifth hit, his hand found my side, making me gasp in horror. "Don't you dare," I managed to say before his fingers started moving, forcing my stomach to burst with tingles as I shrieked with laughter.
I tried to escape, but he flipped us over and continued his relentless attack. "Stop tickling yourself, stop tickling yourself, stop tickling yourself," he mimicked back at me.
"I'm. Going. To. Kill. You," I gasped out between labored breaths, struggling to get out from underneath him.

~*~*~*~ Swan Residence, Forks Washington ~*~*~*~

"You let your brother take our child to an appointment?" Joanna growled, clearly furious that her husband had yet again gone back on his word.
Sirius rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Yes," he admitted reluctantly, unsure of what the right answer would be. Judging by the look on Joanna's face, he knew he had chosen the wrong one. "You were injured. I wasn't about to leave you alone, and I definitely wasn't going to leave you in the care of a squib and his wife."
Joanna sighed, resting her head in her hands. "The whole time I was planning this trip, I thought, 'Hey, this would be a great chance for Sirius and Jamie to reconnect.' But I guess that's not the case."
"You were hurt—" Sirius began.
"And Albus and Severus were here," Joanna shot back. "There was absolutely no reason to let our child go alone with a complete stranger to an appointment we both knew he was scared half the death of."
"Jo, what do you want me to say?"
"I want you to tell me why you insisted on this being a family trip, knowing how much I stressed that it would've been good for you and Jamie to spend some quality time together. Did you know June is absolutely devastated over missing her vacation with Mari and is blaming Jamie because you have this aversion to spending time with your child?"
"They're kids, Jo. Kids fight all the time," Sirius dismissed nonchalantly. "There will be other trips, and Jamie and I can do something else together."
"Damnit, Sirius," Joanna shouted, slamming her hand on the table. "It's not about the trip—it's about showing Jamie that you care about him, that he can rely on you as his father."
"What?" Sirius gasped, taken aback. "I do care—"
"What's Jamie's favorite book? What's he learning about now? What are his favorite hobbies at the moment? Can you even tell me his favorite color?" Joanna fired off angrily. "Do you even remember the last time you two—just the two of you—spent time together, just talking about him and his life? Not Harry, not June, not you and your glory days at Hogwarts with my brother—just Jamie?"
"What does James have to do with this?" Sirius shot back, feeling defensive.
"That's all you got from that?" came a voice from the doorway, irritated. Anna hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but the argument had escalated to the point where the children had woken up and were now outside with Charlie, avoiding their parents' fight.
Joanna straightened up immediately, wiping the tears of anger from her cheeks, while Sirius stood in shocked silence. "It's nothing," he finally said, forcing a smile after a moment of awkward silence.
Anna shook her head in disbelief and walked further into the kitchen, heading straight for the fridge. "Sorry about the fighting," Joanna apologized, noticing the glares Anna kept throwing at Sirius.
"It's okay. Well, understandable to a certain extent," Anna replied, turning to Joanna with a sympathetic smile. "I mean, I did marry the older copy of him, though Charlie's better at admitting when he's wrong." She offered a kind smile. "Also, the kids woke up. They're out back with Charlie, learning all about the wonders of grilling."
"Oh really?" Joanna raised an eyebrow. "Wait, is he actually letting them cook?"
Anna let out a loud laugh but quickly stopped, remembering how young Charlie had started teaching Orion to grill. "Yeah I'm gonna check on that. Feel free to join us when you're done," she called over her shoulder, rushing out of the house.
Once the door shut, Joanna deflated. She was both physically and emotionally exhausted. She missed the days when Jamie didn't feel like an outsider in his own home because Sirius invited James, Harry, and Ron over at every opportunity. It had reached the point where Joanna was tired of fighting about it. She was tired of making plans for Sirius and Jamie to spend quality time together, only for Sirius to dismiss them. And she was especially tired of having to reassure Jamie that his father loved him.
"Jo," Sirius whispered, taking a cautious step forward. "I honestly didn't mean to upset you."
Shaking her head sadly, Joanna looked up at her husband. "It shouldn't be me you're worrying about, Sirius. You have a child outside that you should be apologizing to." She stood up, her tears returning full force, because deep down, she knew she would do anything and everything to make her children feel happy and loved—even if it meant walking away from her own happiness.